Psalms 34:18

“The Lord [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, etc.] Who are pressed and bore down with afflictions, by the sorrow of heart under which their spirits are broken, (<201513>Proverbs 15:13); or with a sense of sin, and sorrow for it, for which their hearts smite them, and they are wounded by it, and broken with it: to these the Lord is “nigh”; not in a general way only, as he is to all men, being God omnipresent, but in a special manner; he comes and manifests himself to them in a gracious way, pours in the oil and wine of his love, and binds up their broken hearts; yea, comes and dwells with them: he does not pass by them and neglect them, much less make the breach worse; he does not…”

“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart - Margin, as in Hebrew: “to the broken of heart.” The phrase, “the Lord is nigh,” means that he is ready to hear and to help. The language is, of course, figurative. As an Omnipresent Being, God is equally near to all persons at all times; but the language is adapted to our conceptions, as we feel that one who is near us can help us, or that one who is distant from us cannot give us aid. Compare the notes at Psalms 22:11. The phrase, “them that are of a broken heart,” occurs often in the Bible. It refers to a condition when a burden “seems” to be on the heart, and when the heart “seems” to be crushed by sin or sorrow; and it is designed…”

“Nigh - Ready to hear and succour them. To - Those whose spirits are truly humbled under the hand of God, and the sense of their sins, whose hearts are subdued, and made obedient to God's will and submissive to his providence. Psalms 34:20”

“34:18 Those who are brokenhearted possess a spirit of deep contrition and dependence on the Lord. God accepts this spirit as a proper sacrifice (51:17). The wicked hate the brokenhearted (109:16), but the Lord heals them (147:3; see Isa 57:15; 61:1).”

“is nigh: Psa 75:1, Psa 85:9, Psa 119:151, Psa 145:18; Isa 55:6 unto them: etc. Heb. to the broken of heart, Psa 51:17, Psa 147:3; Isa 61:1; Luk 4:18 such as: etc. Heb. the contrite of spirit, Kg2 22:19; Isa 57:15, Isa 66:2; Eze 36:26, Eze 36:31 Psalms 34:19”